Hammers by High Commission

High Commissioner of New Zealand to the United Kingdom Sir Lockwood Smith, has welcomed the Irons Carlsberg Football United Tour to his homeland.

Us and Newcastle take on A-League sides Wellington Phoenix and Sydney FC, with fixtures taking place across New Zealand’s North and South Island.

The Hammers face the Phoenix at Eden Park in Auckland on 23 July before tackling Sydney FC as part of a double-header at the Westpac Stadium in the capital city Wellington on Saturday 26 July.

Newcastle take on Sydney FC at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on South Island on 22 July and Sir Lockwood said football fans throughout the country would be thrilled to catch the two Barclays Premier League teams in action.

He said: “It’s fantastic to see two Premier League teams, West Ham United and Newcastle United, planning to visit New Zealand in July.

“Sport is one of those things that ties New Zealand and the UK closely together. The rivalries between are well entrenched in sports like rugby and cricket and it’s great to see this visit bringing a focus on football

“New Zealanders are passionate about sport and I’m sure they’ll turn out in huge numbers for the opportunity to see teams of this calibre play on home soil, though you probably won’t see too many Kiwis blowing bubbles!”

About Hugh5outhon1895

Hugh Southon is a lifelong Iron and the founding editor of ClaretandHugh. He is a national newspaper journalist of many years experience and was Bobby Moore's 'ghost' writer during the great man's lifetime. He describes ClaretandHugh as "the Hammers daily newspaper!"
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